Nothing adds beauty to a room like the elegance of a fireplace with a stone surround, or a hearth. The best part about the charm of hearths and fire place surrounds, aside from aesthetics of course,  is the very little maintenance they require to keep them looking at their best. Just stick to a few simple tips and you will have yours looking shiny and new all the time.

There are many advantages of having a wood burning fireplace in your home. Wood burning fireplaces and wood stoves can be enormous money savers, slashing your heating bills by hundreds of dollars. They are also great back up heating sources in emergency situations such as routine power outages or severe winter storms. Wood burning fireplaces are also warm, cozy and incredibly aesthetically pleasing. The advantages of having a wood burning fireplace or wood stove greatly outweigh any possible negatives. There is, however some work that goes along in the maintenance of your fireplace to ensure it’s safety and efficiency.

The Farmer’s Almanac Predicts a bitterly cold winter this year. Even though Labor Day hasn’t arrived just yet, and we still have a beautiful Fall to look forward to, it is not too early to start preparing for the coming winter months. Afterall, you don’t want to get left out in the cold, with outrageous heating bills that can easily be lowered by doing some simple pre-season maintenance and preparation.

There are many reasons you may need to install a new chimney liner. First off, a liner will extend the life of your chimney, and it will make your chimney much more safe. But, there are certain scenarios in which installing or replacing a damaged liner are absolutely necessary. If you are installing a new stove, or furnace, for example and it will be vented into your masonry chimney, you will need a liner to ensure optimal and safe performance of your heating unit. Also, if you have an older chimney that has no clay liner at all, you will want to install one to prevent any masonry damage from occurring that will hasten the deterioration of your chimney, and cause it to become unsafe.

If you have a chimney, then there is no better way to invest in the safety of your home then with  a good quality chimney cap. A chimney cap keeps unwanted elements like rain and animals out of your chimney. It will also help contain sparks, keeping the areas surrounding your home safe as well.

Did you know that Christopher Columbus is not only is credited for discovering the Americas, but also for discovering Barbecue? Well, that might be a bit of a stretch but the spread of barbecue as we know today in America certainly started when Christopher Columbus landed in the Caribbean. As Natasha Geiling from blogs.smithsonianmag.com said in her article titled: The Evolution of American Barbecue, “The history of American barbecue is as diverse as the variations themselves, charting the path of a Caribbean cooking style brought north by Spanish conquistadors, moved westward by settlers, and seasoned with the flavors of European cultures.”

It is important to be sure that you are using properly seasoned wood in your fireplace. If your wood is not seasoned properly you will be faced with a very smoky and unpleasant burn in your fireplace that could easily pour into your home. Unseasoned, or moist wood will also cause your woodstove or fireplace to heat your home at an insufficient rate. The cause of this is simple. Wood that is not properly seasoned contains too much moisture and moisture does not burn. What moisture does do in a fire is cause unpleasant smoke as it heats to its boiling point.

Grilling and Barbecuing are a favorite way of cooking all year round, and of course a summer tradition. But, like most fun things, there comes some responsibility and danger. However, there is no need to worry. By following just a few simple safety tips, your cookouts and barbecues will remain a safe and happy tradition for years to come.

As outdoor cooking connoisseurs, our options are limitless. We can toss anything on the grill from a juicy steak to a pizza, and cook it to perfection. One of the most popular foods to grill is of course fish. Strangely though, even the most experienced grillers find themselves intimidated by the thought. They find it hard to tell when grilled fish is done and often it comes out very dry or the opposite occurs and it comes out under cooked. But, truthfully it is not very hard to grill fish like a pro.You just have to follow a few simple tips, and you will be in tasty grilled fish heaven.

There is no doubt that caring for your chimney is not on the top of your chore list in the midst of a beautiful summer. But before you know it, the weather will be cooling down and a nice evening by the fire will sound like perfection. The last thing you want to do is notice a chimney problem as just as you are about to put a log on the fire. After all, a chimney that has suffered damage is a major fire hazard. If you notice something is not right with your chimney, you need to get it taken care of as soon as possible. Here are the most common and major signs of chimney damage to look for so you can rest assured you will have a smooth winter full of warmth beside the fire.